Underground NM lab dump still blazing

Published: Saturday, June 10, 2000

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. {AP} An underground dump used in the early days of Los Alamos National Laboratory remains ablaze nearly a month after a fierce wildfire moved through lab property and parts of the town of Los Alamos.

It's not clear how deep the fire is burning in the dump, known as material disposal area R, said Lee McAtee, the lab's deputy director for environmental and health safety.

"It's just kind of puffing periodically," McAtee said.

There is no apparent public health threat, but the lingering fire does threaten workers in the area, he said.

"There is some potential that (depleted uranium) is buried there," said James Bearzi, director of the Environment Department's hazardous and radioactive materials bureau. The state is confident the lab is taking care of the problem and that it poses no threat to public health, he said.

There is no definite information on what the dump contains, but state environment officials and activists say it probably has high explosives, depleted uranium, barium, beryllium and heavy metals dating back to the 1940s and 1950s.

Officials sent in a remote-controlled robot Wednesday to begin excavating the dump and dig out some of the burning material so the fire can be extinguished. They earlier tried to smother the underground fire by piling tons of dirt on the dump, but that didn't work.

"We think there is some construction debris (in the dump), and we think that is what's burning," said Greg Lewis, director of the state Environment Department's groundwater bureau. Lewis said officials believe wooden items, such as old two-by-fours, are burning, not contaminated materials.

Because of explosives and possible radioactivity, workers have to stay a safe distance away, so the work is being done by robot. In addition, lab and state environment workers aren't sure whether they can douse the area with water for fear contaminants could leach into the ground or be sent down a streambed.

A recent study of dumps on lab property said the R-dump, one of 24 similar contaminated waste sites, contains three pits of unknown depth. The site is on the Environment Department's list of dumps with a high probability of contaminants moving offsite, through such means as erosion, and a moderate to high potential of releasing contamination to Los Alamos' underground water.

The dump sits on the edge of Canon de Valle in Technical Area 16, the far western area of the lab bordering Santa Fe National Forest land.